Tube bending device



April 12, 1960 J. M. GARDNER TUBE BENDING DEVICE Filed Dec. 9. 1957 INVENTOR. JAMES M. GARDNER ATTORNEY My invention relates to improvements in a tube bending device and more particularly to a bending device, in-

cluding an angle indicating means, that is portable for bending pipe, tube, or conduit and arranged to be used by a workman at the place of installationof the material being bent.

type of bending device with an angle'indicating means which will automatically show the angle to which an object has been bent and thereby enable the workmen to determine the exact and proper degree of bend without the use of other instruments.

Another object of my invention is to provide the device with angle indicating means which may be adjusted before the performance of the bending operation to properly indicate a desired angle of bend during bending operation.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a pipe or tube bending device, that may be easily adjusted without the use of special tools and without any special I mechanical skill.

It is manifest to anyone in the electrical industry, particularly in the building construction trades, familiar with the installation of thin wall tubing, or the like, that it is more advantageous to bend the material at the place of installation, one piece at a time, where the material must be formed, or bent to various angles to fit the particular installation or application. This function is usually performed with a conventional bending device of which there are many now in commercial use. The device is usually provided with portions having an arcuately grooved portion designed to. engage and to retain the tube being bent while the handle or lever is being employed for performing the bending operation.

In the embodiment of my invention herein disclosed, the bending device is provided with spirit levels attached either rigidly, or adjustably, to the body of the device, to enable the user to observe the degree or angle to which the object is being formed during the bending operation.

Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds, when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device showing two levels attached to the body of the device, at varied angles.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of the device, illustrating a spirit level rotatably mounted to the body and adjusted by means of a ratchet action.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of still'another modified form of the device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view, a portion being broken away, showing the mounting for the level illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4, showing a portion of the body of the device and illustrating the mounting for the level illustrated in Fig. 4.

States Patent An object of my invention is to equip a conventional 7 2,932,225 Patented Apr. 12, 1960 ice Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The bending device comprises a tube engaging portion or body 10 having a grooved arcuate channel portion 11 adapted to engage a tube, and a removable handle 12, shown fragmentarily, threadedly engaging the tubular portion 13. The end 14 of the body 10 is provided with a serrated surface and the other end is provided with an open outwardly extending clamping or hook-like member 15 arranged in spaced relation to the grooved channel portion 11 to provide a space 16 for receiving the tube, shown in dotted lines at 17 and to engage the tube on a side diametrically opposite that engaged by the channel portion 11. It will be understood that I do not claim the bending device per se as my inventionv but only in so far as it is in combination with other elements functioning therewith to obtain the novel results disclosed.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the tubular portion 13 is con-- nected on one side with a corresponding end of the channel portion 11 by a pair of arms 13A and 13B, the

latter arm 13B also terminating in the hook-like member 15. The upper face or edge of each of the arms is disposed at an acute angle relative to the face or edge mounting for the levels 18 and 19. They are positioned so that they may be observed by the operator while performing the bending operation. The level 18 is disposed at an angle which, when in a horizontal position, will indicate that the tube 17 has been bent to an angle predetermined by the level 18. Likewise, the level 19 is disposed at an angle which, when moved to a horizontal position, will indicate that the tube 17 has been bent to an angle of less than that which may be indicated by the level 18. Obviously, the'levels may be arranged so that other angles of bend may be indicated. Although the levels 18 and 19 are disposed angularly relative to each other whereby the operator may make a choice as to the degree of bend, it is, for normal use, preferable that they be arranged angularly relative to each other angle of bend.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the spirit levels 18 and 19' are in fixed relation to each other. However, it may be desirable to bend the tube at other angles than those suggestedwith reference to Figs. 1 and 2. To this end, I have illustrated in Figs. 3 through 6 a manner in which alev'el may be mounted for adjustment to obtain a read ing as to any angle of bend to which it is desired to bend a tube.

It will, of course, be obvious to those skilled in the art, that a single spirit level adjustable to various angles may be used, thereby providing the workman performing the bending operations with an angle indicator with a wide variety of choices of angle bend suitable for particular requirements of an installation.

In the Fig. 3, the level 20 is mounted on a rotatable carrier 21 (see Fig. 5), which includes a ratchet wheel portion 21A having a series of slots 22 on its outer peripheral surface for successively receiving a ratchet ball 24 biased toward the wheel portion by means of the spring 25. A shell 23 peripherally surrounds the carrier 21 which is rotatably confined therein by a plate 23A secured thereto by suitable means, such as pins 23B. An

indicating arrow 26 on the plate 23A points toward the carrier 21 for registry with either of the indicating angle marks 26A disposed arcuately about the periphery of the carrier 21. Thus it will be seen, that rotation of the carrier 21 to register either of indicating angle marks 26A with the arrow 26, will dispose the level 20 at a corresponding angle and that the ratchet ball 24 will retain the carrier in such position by reason of its engagement with the ratchet wheel portion 21A.

The modified type of level mounting shown in Figs. 4 and 6 is somewhat simpler than that shown in'Figs. 3 and 5. The level 28 is mounted in a rotatable carrier 29 having a shaft 30 extending through either one or the other of the arms 13A or 133 of the body of the device and is normally held against rotation by means of a thumb nut 31, threaded on the shaft 30 and frictionally engaging the arm. To adjust this level 28 to a desired angle it is merely necessary to loosen the nut 21 and turn the carrier 29 by means of the knurled portions, shown at 32 on its outer periphery, to a position registering either of the indicating marks 33 on the casing or carrier 29 with the indicating arrow 34 on the body arm.

Assuming that the levels 20 in Fig. 3 or 28 in Fig. 4 have been placed at a desired angle of bend, the bending device is then engaged with any elongated object, such as a tube, in the manner heretofore noted and illustrated in Figs. 1 through 4 of the drawings. The, workman then places a foot on the serrated end 14,- applying his weight thereto, and simultaneously pulling on the handle 12 in a counterclockwise direction relative to the drawings, thus forcing the tube to bend upwardly as indicated. At the same time, the workman will observe the level and when the bubble in the spirit level appears and indicates that it is in a horizontal level he will then know that the tube has been bent to the desired angle and the bending operation has been completed.

From the above description it becomes manifest that a bending device equipped with an angle indicating device will greatly improve the efliciency and accuracy ofthe tube bending operations by affording the operator visual means for determining the degree of angle to which the tube or the like has been bent. Although I have shown specific arrangements of the component partsembodying my invention, it will be understood that I do not limit the scope of the appended claims to such specific disclosures unless the terms of the claims justify such limitations.

As my invention, I claim:

1. In a manually operable tube bending device, the combination with opposed tube engaging members, one being arcuate and engageable with one side of said tube and the other being hook-like and engageable with the opposite side of said tube at a point adjacent one end of said arcuate member, the opposite end of said arcuate member having a foot engaging portion of a spirit level including an air bubble carried by said device at an angle normally inclined from a horizontal plane and movable with said device to a horizontal plane during tube bending operations, whereby the degree of bend of said tube is evidenced by the spirit bubble, and a handle extending in a radial direction relative to the arc of said arcuate member and away therefrom, whereby bending forces applied to said handle and foot engaging portion simultaneously maintain said tube engaged with a supporting surface during bending operations.

2. In a manually operable tube bending device, the combination with opposed tube engaging members, one being arcuate and engageable with one side of said tube and the other being hook-like and engageable with the opposite side of said tube at a point adjacent one end of said arcuate member, the opposite end of said arcuate member having a foot engaging portion, of a pair of spirit levels carried by said device each at an angle normally inclined from a horizontal plane, said spirit levels each being disposed at an angle acutely relative to the other and each indicating an angle of bend differing from that indicated by the other when disposed in a horizontal plane whereby during the bending operations the operator may choose either angle of bend desired.

3. A tube bending device comprising a tube engaging member having an arcuate groove adapted for engagementwith one side of a tube, a hook adjacent one end of said groove for engagement with the opposite side of said tube and an elongated handle carried by said member and extending in a radial direction relative to said groove, in combination with a spirit level carried by said member and rotatably adjustable in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said handle and member, whereby the desired degree of bend may be predetermined prior to bending operations.

4. A tube bending device comprising a tube engaging member having an arcuate portion for engaging a tube on one side thereof, a hook adjacent one end of said portion and an elongated handle disposed in a radial direction relative to said arcuate portion, in combination with a spirit level carried'by'said member in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said handle and memher and angularly relative to axis of elongation of said handle, whereby a predetermined angle of bend of said tube may be ascertained during bending operations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,450,296 Lucas Apr. 3, 1923 1,459,381 Von Serkey June 19, 1923 1,879,868 Breer Sept. 27, 1932 1,889,239 Crowley Nov. 29, 1932 2,232,819 Abramsonet a1. Feb. 25, 1941 2,630,033 Stover Mar. 3, 1953 2,824,381 Traupmann Feb. 25, 1958 gm m 

